Obscure Holiday Lore

[captorquewrench]

Share your favorite weird, obscure Christmas (or whatever) legend, lore, tradition.

I will start.

The Yule Cat is a big freaky (usually black) cat from Icelandic legend who looks for lazy people who didn't make (or earn money and buy) new clothes in time for Christmas, so he eats them. Legend has been used to frighten children into behaving, so I like it. That fact it's a giant scary cat is also good in my book.

I think my Moe cat is THE Yule Cat.

Yule Cat is often connected to the Yule Lads...and they are fairly scary and odd themselves, but I like this extra scary beast cat.

Also, Krampus. I like Krampus. We haven't seen or heard about in America for a couple of centuries. Which is too bad, I think getting beaten to a pulp by him would be a lot more incentive to children to behave than a lump of coal.

As an aside, please do not tell the principal about my strange fascination with depressing children's literature (I have a gem about some kids in a German WWII concentration camp not having any toys and being hungry and what they do until the British troops come free them, it is a grade 1 picture book complete with pictures of skinny children and crowded bunks) and scary things like Yule Cat and Krampus.

 

[setxn]

My sisters stupid pickle ornament story. It was supposed to be an age old German tradition, but it like a lot of other things was a fabricated tale in order to sell pickle ornaments. After many years of me calling it road apples and even her German exchange student trying to convince her she finally faced the truth.

 

[redlevel]

I think one of the sad things is the vilification of the use of Xmas.

The use of Xmas IS NOT "taking Christ out of Christmas."
X is the Greek symbol for Chi, which is the first letter in the Greek Christos, or KRistos, meaning Messiah, or Christ. The early Monks, laboriously copying the original manuscripts, used the X to refer to The Christ. This usage is steeped in Christian tradition.

Apparently, this used to be more well known than it is now, because I remember seeing this usage 50-60 years ago, and no one made a big deal about it.

The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories - Merriam-Webster, Inc - Google Books

Chi-Rho Monogram of Christ - Images of the Chi-Rho Christian Symbols

 

[captorquewrench]

I think one of the sad things is the vilification of the use of Xmas.

The use of Xmas IS NOT "taking Christ out of Christmas."
X is the Greek symbol for Chi, which is the first letter in the Greek Christos, or KRistos, meaning Messiah, or Christ. The early Monks, laboriously copying the original manuscripts, used the X to refer to The Christ. This usage is steeped in Christian tradition.

Apparently, this used to be more well known than it is now, because I remember seeing this usage 50-60 years ago, and no one made a big deal about it.

The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories - Merriam-Webster, Inc - Google Books

Chi-Rho Monogram of Christ - Images of the Chi-Rho Christian Symbols

Well said. No one calls the "Chi Ro" symbol a "Pee Ex" is what I've always said.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I used to tell my kids about how the Yule Log came to be. First you started with the Christmas Fruitcake and washed it down with a little port......

 

[David LaPell]

I liked my grandfather's tradition. He would usually the day before Christmas go out and bag a grouse.

 

[DeathGrip]

My sisters stupid pickle ornament story. It was supposed to be an age old German tradition, but it like a lot of other things was a fabricated tale in order to sell pickle ornaments. After many years of me calling it road apples and even her German exchange student trying to convince her she finally faced the truth.

I have one. German wife that is. My Mom from West Virginia found this pickle thing and gave it to her one Christmas. Frau went blank, priceless.

I guess your supposed to hide it in the tree and find it on Christmas if your lucky?

She swears it's not German and says "maybe it's a kosher".

I'm just chilling.

Peace and good will to all.

 

[DeathGrip]

BTW That pickle is in our tree.

 

[Oldiron]

Can't believe no one has mentioned the tradition of passing on the age old Christmas fruitcake.
P.S. I have the Yule cat. he is over 37" long solid black with big yellow eyes.

 

[LVSteve]

BTW That pickle is in our tree.

"Is that a pickle in your tree or are you just pleased to see me?"

Sorta works.

 

[DeathGrip]

"Is that a pickle in your tree or are you just pleased to see me?"

Sorta works.

Uh, no. It don't work that way.

 

[LVSteve]

There is a British tradition that is likely unknown to most Americans. In the US and many other countries Christmas Eve is a time for family and/or church. To most under 50 in England, it is a night for hitting the pubs and clubs and getting seriously...errrm ... merry and to swap spit with as many of the opposite sex as possible.

I was truly shocked to find no parties or big club events in Las Vegas the first Christmas I was here. In fact, the town goes dead for about 5-6 days to the degree they close up some of the fancier places. That is still bizarre to me.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Like all holidays...another day to go eat at Golden Corral.

There is no snow here and I generally plant a pineapple and then spend quality time hacking out a set of war clubs out of hardwood I find in the forest. This is sort of like having a Christmas tree that you get to use year round. It is quite festive and the children enjoy throwing their clubs at some plastic dove decoys. This year we also made spears and toothbrush razors. It beats baking cookies.

 

[Kinman]

I won't have a cat that isn't black or nearly so, currently own two yule cats, one thinks he's a dog.
Our Christmas celebration is mostly a combination of all the ancient beliefs that the "heathen's" were allowed to hang onto when they traded in for Christianity. Even the timing of the baby Jesus birth with spring lambs doesn't quite work out to this time of year, but it sure coincides with all the festivals celebrating the rebirth of a new year after the winter solstace. Nearly everything from the burning of the yule log to bringing the tannenbaum into the house are all based on paegen belief and superstition. I used to belong to a very old school dutch form of Christianity and the old folks did not believe in Christmas Trees and such, but they also used to perform at least half of the sermon in Dutch because "The saints don't speak English."

 

[ohiojerry]

Not Christmas but on New Year's Day my Grandmother would cook cabbage and put a silver dollar in the pot. Supposed to bring you wealth in the coming year. Unless you die of metalic poisoning.

 

[rimfired]

We used to use x=-&#*#@ and other charachters so we could get spanked by the Holyer than Holy Mods for creative spelling, even if it wasn't technically "spelling".
Geeze I miss the old days..... when I used to live in the South. Them cousinz waz great! Merry Crizmas!

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

We seem to have started a tridition of Christmas children. Around 28 to 30 years ago my DIL was born on Chritmas eve (hence the name Christina) then 6 years ago our first grandchild, Sara, was born on Christmas Day. Since Jesus gets all the attention in December we send birthday gifts for a June 25 celabration. We have 5 grandkids now and should have more as the last 2 sons settle into family life. I hope that the new tradition of "Christmas children" will continue to spread. God bless us, everyone! Merry Christmas, Ivan